Conan's Plan
by CoolKid94
Summary: After being Conan for two years, Conan leaves Ran because the antidote isn't perfect. He then realizes his feelings for Haibara. Having no clue if she likes him back, he concocts a plan to find out. ConanXAi
1. Recollections and Plan

This particular story is ConanXAi centric, so if you do not appreciate this pair, feel free to hit the back button. Otherwise, read and review, please. Constructive criticism accepted.

Disclaimer: If I owned this, it would be in the manga, not on a fan fiction website. That's why Gosho Aoyoma draws the manga, because he owns it.

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><p>Chapter One - Conan's POV<p>

_Two years after current storyline…_

Conan was in school, as usual. The teacher was teaching the class 3rd grade level math, so Conan was bored out of his mind. He attempted to stay awake, though, since he knew that falling asleep in class was never a bright idea.

Conan also noticed that Ai was bored, too, though she did a much better job of hiding it. She'd been trained by the Black Organization to not show emotions and to tough out bad situations and Conan assumed that included grade school.

Conan usually used class time to think about problems and find solutions to them. Today's enigma involved Ai. Two years ago, he would've been thinking about Ran instead, but after seeing her waiting for him, Shinichi, to return, for so long, he couldn't stand her crying for him anymore and had decided to make a painful decision. He then called and asked her to meet him so he could tell her face to face. He still remembered vividly what happened.

_Flashback 6 months before_

Exactly two years since Shinichi had disappeared for his 'big case' Ran got a call from Shinichi.

"Mouri Detective Agency"

"Yo, Ran, it's me Shinichi."

"Shinichi?"

"You sound surprised to hear from me."

"Of course I am. You haven't called in weeks!"

"Sorry, Ran, I've been having some… personal problems. Listen I've been in Japan for the last few days and I'll be heading back to America tonight. But since I'll be in Tokyo today till the plane leaves, I was wondering if you'd like to hang out."

"Really, you'll be back today? Then of course I'll meet up with you!"

"Then I'll be at the Detective Agency in 20 minutes. That good?"

"Sure, see you then!"

With that, Shinichi had hung up and walked over. Ai had graciously allowed him an 18 hour temporary antidote to use for the occasion, though Shinichi had been kind of vague as to why he'd wanted it, only saying he needed it for a 'Shinichi-only errand', which Ai had interpreted as a date with Ran. He had arrived at the Detective Agency, and after making sure Kogoro was not around to give him grief about 'corrupting his daughter', had left with Ran. Shinichi had had no excuse to hide his face anymore due to the downfall of the Organization a year before, so he'd enjoyed his day as a teenager with Ran for the day.

Around five thirty that afternoon, Shinichi had offered to take Ran to dinner, and she'd gladly accepted, since she realized that Shinichi was acting a little weird and was hoping it was just nerves. They went to a modest place that served Western food and had enjoyed most of the meal until Shinichi had had to drop the bomb.

"Uh, Ran"

"Yes, Shinichi"

"There's, uh, something I need to tell you…something important. When I leave for America tonight, it will likely be for good…"

"WHAT! Shinichi, how do you know it's for good? Why would you go anyway? Everything you've ever known is here in Beika! Please don't go!" Ran started to tear up uncontrollably.

"Ran, will you listen to my reasons?"

"…"

Shinichi decided to try another angle to take her mind off of him 'leaving'.

"Ran, do you love me?"

Ran immediately looked up and said, "What in the world would make you think a stupid thing like that?" a little too quickly.

Shinichi just smirked and replied, "It was a simple deduction, even for a dense person like me."

"If you're so dense, then how do you know you're right?"

"I don't know, though I have enough circumstantial evidence. But anyway, here's my reasoning. Firstly, when Sonoko used to call us a married couple, you didn't get as angry as you used to. Secondly, you agreed to accompany me for a day to Tropical Land, which most people would consider a date, as well as hanging out with me today. And lastly, you're blushing like crazy." Shinichi finished smugly, watching Ran who was indeed blushing.

"I take it I'm right then?" Shinichi already knew the answer from his time as Conan, but he was waiting for her to say it to him herself.

Ran looked down and sighed deeply. "I guess you really are the Great Detective of the East." She paused again, as if gathering up courage, and then said, "Shinichi, I do love you, as you so astutely pointed out. I have for years, since our trip to New York."

Shinichi just grinned again and said "I figured as much. At first I didn't really notice, though there were a few differences in the way you behaved around me. I was first certain at Tropical Land when you listened to me ramble about Sherlock Holmes for most of the day. You didn't even complain until your outburst on the roller coaster, which pretty much confirmed my suspicions."

Actually, Shinichi had had no clue about Ran's feelings for him at all. He had only found out later that night when he'd turned into Conan, when Ran had found no problem confessing to a little boy whom she thought was a completely different person. Shinichi had no plans to tell Ran about him being Conan because his 'deduction' would be seen through right away.

"So Shinichi, if you're so certain about my feelings about you, it's my turn to ask you a question," said Ran pleasantly, leaning forward slightly. Shinichi internally braced himself. "Who was the girl you were talking about when you turned down Uchida Asami-sempai in junior high?"

The question was different than Shinichi had been expecting her to ask. He'd been expecting a flat out 'Do you love me, too?' but Ran had surprised him again. He decided to tease her by saying "Who do you think it is? Conan-kun said that when you met her and she told you about what happened you had no clue who it was. Do you have any new ideas?"

"Not really. No one I know matches the description you gave her of the girl you love."

"Sonoko was there right? Who did she say it was?"

"The same as usual. She said it was probably me since you knew me the best…" Ran stopped and shyly looked up and asked, "Was she right?"

"Actually she was. At the time I did have a crush on you. That's why I turned Asami-san down, even though she was so smart and popular."

"So, Shinichi, by 'at the time' you mean you don't love me now?" Ran asked, tearing up again.

Shinichi sighed, "Ran, if I hadn't had to go away for two years, then I'd probably still love you as much as I did when I left, if not more. But now, since I've been away for so long, my feelings have diminished back down to those of a brother instead of a lover. If I was able to stay here longer, then I might begin to love you again, but as I said earlier, I can't. I have to return to America." Shinichi hated lying. He hated breaking Ran's heart. But with the current circumstances, he had no choice. It was either this, or forcing her to wait longer.

"Shinichi…" Ran said, crying freely now.

"Ran, we can still be friends. I'll always be your friend. Now come on, I'll walk you home."

With that, they both got up and left. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs leading up the Detective Agency, they had embraced heartily, promising to keep in contact, and parted, Ran watching Shinichi until he turned the corner.

Shinichi had gone back to Agasa's house, transformed back into Conan, and gone home to comfort Ran. Over the weeks that followed, Ran slowly got over Shinichi, and with encouragement from Conan, had gone back to a normal routine and two years later found a new guy.

It had taken a while for Conan to get over letting go of Ran like that. While he appeared to be cheerful, inside he was fraught with conflicting emotions. He eventually got over Ran completely. After a few months, he had realized he had had feelings for someone all along, but never noticed: Haibara Ai.

_End Flashback_

Conan was thinking of Ai again today, as he did most days. After he'd realized he loved her as more than a sister or a friend, he had started thinking of her a lot more than normal. He'd had to physically stop himself several times from gazing at her in class, since he'd been teased by Genta too many times. He had never quite realized before just how much he appreciated Ai for who she really was: a smart, intelligent girl who actually could keep up with his thoughts and trusted him completely. To Conan, it was a good feeling.

However, there was a problem. Conan, being so in the know about how girls felt about him (NOT) had simply no idea whether Ai liked him back or not. Since he'd realized his feelings, he hadn't treated her any differently, though he did blush a little more than he used to when she was around whenever she made a sarcastic comment at his expense. He didn't let on what he felt because he either didn't want to harshly rejected by her or teased by his peers for the rest of his school career. Although she was asked out all the time by boys, it was different for him. Firstly, both of them were in their late teens and consequently smarter than everyone else. While they hid it, they still stood out and were well known to the whole school, including the staff. Secondly, Conan had a ton of admirers of his own, and he couldn't very well make a move with them around, especially Ayumi, whom he knew for a FACT had a severe crush on him, since she'd deliberately shown her affections more than once, earning him death glares and wedgies from Mitsuhiko and Genta.

Conan knew he couldn't ask her out directly, since she'd think he was joking and say no. After thinking about it, he came up with a different way to see if Ai liked him or not. The plan, in his mind, would involve making her jealous by going on 'friendly dates' with someone else, though he wouldn't let on to the girl or anyone else what he was up to. He knew Ai was a master at concealing her true emotions, but he hoped that if she _did_ like him, at least to some extent, that it would show through her mask. He was so confident that he decided to put his plan into action as soon as possible.

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><p>This is just the start of this story. You can probably guess some of what will happen, like who the other girl will be. I apologize to CoAi fans for the ShinRan stuff, but I had to establish background for the story, so please forgive me.<p>

Note: The reference to Asami Uchida comes from manga volume 18 or episodes 100-101 if you watch the anime.

I use everyone's given names over their surnames during descriptions because I'm American and that's how books are written here. In conversation, I use the names that everyone calls each other by (ex. = Conan calls Ai 'Haibara'), including honorifics, so try not to get confused. I use Japanese names instead of the English because I know how a lot of people hate the English names. If anyone has any other questions, feel free to ask in your review, which I hope you'll give, because this is my first ever published story, and I have no idea how good I am at writing (especially romance). Thanks again!


	2. Starting Off

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own this, since Conan will never try to impress Haibara canonically.

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><p>Chapter Two - Conan's POV<p>

After school, Conan was looking to put his plan into action. He had decided to use Ayumi as the friend to 'date' for several reasons: she was Ai's best friend (after himself) and was the closest to her to promote a reaction, and Ayumi was about as predictable as Ran, and he could easily control her emotions.

"Conan-kun! Ai-chan" shouted Ayumi as he and Ai left the school that day, "Do you want to come with us to the park? We're going to the park to play soccer!" She was practically jumping up and down in excitement.

"Sure I'll go!" said Conan calmly. "Are you coming Haibara?"

"I'll pass" said Ai flatly. "I've got work to do at Hakase's."

Ayumi's face fell so Conan asked Ai in an undertone, "Working on the antidote again?"

"Yes. You want to get back to normal right? Plus it's getting annoying having you complain about not having it all the time. Then you can get back to _her_." She didn't specify who 'her' was, but it was implied she meant Ran. Conan had not told anyone but Agasa-hakase what had happened and Ran had kept close-lipped, too, since it was painful for both of them.

"Oh c'mon! An afternoon off won't hurt anything. It'll be good for you to get out of the lab, too. Fresh air always does a person good."

"If you insist. I'm sure I'll regret it later, though. "

"I'll go, Ayumi-chan," said Ai more loudly, and Ayumi's face lit up, as well as Mitsuhiko's, who'd been waiting behind her with Genta.

With that they headed toward Beika Park. However, there was a new problem when they got there. There were five people to split up onto two teams.

"I'll sit out," said Ai at once. "Then the teams will be even and the problem is solved." But Conan had other ideas.

"What's the point in coming if you're just going to sit around?" asked Conan "I know how to split us up evenly. Ayumi-chan and I will be on one team and you three will be on the other."

"How's that even?" said Mitsuhiko loudly, "It's still 2 on 3." Genta agreed.

"Well," said Conan, carefully choosing what to say, "I'm already good at soccer, so it'd make sense that I'm on the smaller team. But there can't be a one-man team, so I picked Ayumi-chan to join me. Since I'm the equivalent of two players, essentially it's 3 on 3."

Everyone agreed he had a point, and so the game began. Conan and Ayumi won because Conan was so much better than everyone else. He purposely got Ayumi involved so she'd feel she contributed.

The game took longer than normal because of the uneven teams and the fact that whenever Ayumi had the ball, she kept trying to pass it to Conan, where it got intercepted. By the time it was over it was getting late and everyone was hot and sweaty, so they decided to just head home for the night. Conan struck up a conversation with Ayumi regarding her performance in the game and giving her tips for improvement, giving him an excuse to accompany her home. He knew it would look too suspicious to just follow her (he'd look like a stalker), so the talk was the perfect excuse, and even got him out of death glares from the other guys. After leaving Ayumi at her apartment, Conan went home, feeling slightly happier than normal and sporting a barely concealed grin. His plan was off to a good start.

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><p>It was probably obvious he'd use Ayumi. After all, she's Haibara's best friend. I know it's short, but I'm leading into the actual story, and it seemed a good idea to finish the chapter here.<p>

Note: The entire story will likely be around ten chapters, so it won't take too long to get to the good stuff.

Thanks for the comments and keep supporting me!


	3. Suspicious Behavior

Fast update! This chapter is a bit longer than the last one, and it's in a new point of view.

Disclaimer: I don't live in Japan, and I can't speak Japanese or draw well, so it's impossible for me to be Gosho Aoyama.

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><p>Chapter Three - Ai's POV<p>

_The next morning_

Ai had had a pretty good time at the park yesterday, considering she hadn't wanted to go in the first place. She'd never had any close friends in the Organization, so the three kids and Conan were the first friends she'd ever had, as immature as they were. She also had a new family. Agasa-hakase was like her father and Conan was her closest friend, besides Ayumi. Her life now was perfect by her standards, and she half-hoped she'd never find a permanent antidote.

There was actually another reason she didn't want to perfect the antidote. That reason was that _he_ would go away. Edogawa Conan, better known to the world as Kudo Shinichi. She could picture in her mind what would happen when he was presented with the antidote. He'd stare at her with the stupidest expression before slowly grinning, taking the antidote and running off to transform. Stubborn Conan would probably want her to transform too, since he knew how much she hated being treated like a kid. However, she'd already perfected an excuse as to why she wouldn't that he'd be forced to accept.

'Thinking of Kudo-kun, there was something odd about his behavior yesterday,' thought Ai. 'He forced me to come to the park, something he rarely does, especially since he knew I was going to be working on the antidote. Secondly, he made me play soccer with them, even though he was unevening the teams, no matter what logical reason he gave. Then he chatted to Ayumi-chan to the point where the five of us split up. While it _was_ soccer stuff, he doesn't normally do that.'

Ai was still pondering Conan's mysterious behavior when she left for school. She normally walked alone until she met up with Conan and then the two of them would then meet up with the other three along the way. However, when she passed the street where the Detective Agency was, there was no sign of Conan. She didn't take much notice of this and kept on walking. He'd been late before, so this was no surprise.

The big surprise though was still yet to come. When she reached the corner where she met up with Ayumi normally, she was very surprised to see Ayumi and Conan deep in conversation about something she knew he didn't care about: _Kamen Yaiba_. For one thing it was a kid's anime, so it was way too childish for him. But what got her the most was that he'd actually taken a different route to school to meet up with Ayumi. She waited for them to notice her waiting, but they were apparently too caught up with talking. She listened but was bored at once, since they were discussing how viable the fight with the monster at the end would be in real life.

When they passed Ai and still didn't notice her, Ai followed behind, listening. She was very surprised that Conan hadn't even acknowledged her presence at all, since he was a great detective and could tell when he was being watched. So she decided to do a very childish thing and butt into their conversation.

"Actually Edogawa-kun," said Ai "I think Ayumi-chan is right about the monster not being able to defend itself. If something like that were to exist in real life, it would be very fragile due to the weird combinations of animal parts and magic spells," Ai said in monotone, so as to avoid showing her confusion about the whole situation. She was weirded out even more when they both jumped, indicating that they weren't faking that they hadn't seen her.

"Oh Ai-chan," exclaimed Ayumi, "I didn't see you there! You really scared me, but thanks for agreeing with me on the whole situation. I told you I was right Conan-kun!"

Conan just scowled and said, "Why'd you have to jump us anyway? You could always just wait on the corner for us to see you!"

"I did Edogawa-kun. But both of you just walked right past me like I'm just another mailbox or sign. Besides that Edogawa-kun, why are you walking with Ayumi-chan anyway? It's not like you to take such a long detour so early in the morning."

Conan immediately responded by saying, "Mouri-occhan woke me up early with his snoring and I couldn't get back to sleep. So I ate a quick breakfast and decided to just walk around the neighborhood and enjoy the early morning air. On my way to school I happened to pass by Ayumi-chan's apartment just as she was leaving and we struck up conversation about last night's _Kamen Yaiba_. Then we met up with you and you scared us."

It sounded rehearsed, but she didn't get to say anything else because Mitsuhiko and Genta arrived and started talking about the show in earnest with Ayumi.

The rest of the day passed just as weirdly, though you wouldn't notice anything if you weren't looking for it, which the other two guys weren't. Conan kept mysteriously ending up near Ayumi. He sat by Ayumi during lunch, always ended up in line near her, and kept loaning her his stuff during the art lesson.

Ai noticed all this and came up with an impossible conclusion: Conan had a crush on Ayumi. Ai discarded it, but it somehow kept nagging her. She then listed reasons that Conan would NOT like Ayumi. The first reason was of course the obvious age difference. The second was she had annoyed him to death for two years. The third was that he'd loved Ran for years, and had shown no signs before now of not still loving her.

After noticing these small things, Ai decided to do some investigating. After all, she was a member of the Detective Boys. First she tried teasing him gently to see if he'd rile up.

"Having fun helping your girlfriend Edogawa-kun? She seems to be having fun." she said while he was passing Ayumi some scissors.

"Oi, she's not my girlfriend!" said Conan at once, instantly going on the defense, the same way he'd act when they'd call him and Ran a married couple when he still in high school.

"If not, then why are so conspicuously staying near her and helping her out?" asked Ai teasingly, though still curiously, "You've done it all day."

"I have?" he asked, looking genuinely confused, though he didn't fool Ai one bit.

"Yes, you have. You'd better watch yourself or I'll have to report you to your _other_ girlfriend," putting stress on the 'other'.

"Eh," said Ayumi-chan at once, "Conan-kun has a girlfriend?" She looked very jealous and her eyes teared up.

Conan immediately tried to calm her down by saying, "I've never _had_ a girlfriend, I just have several friends that are girls, including you and Haibara."

Ai turned her attention back to her art project at that point, and decided to figure out another method of finding out the truth. She decided to go right to the source. Not Conan, he'd just lie and dance around the subject, like he did earlier. She'd have to stoop lower and ask someone she didn't like much: Mouri Ran.

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><p>Detective Haibara has finally come to the surface! Next chapter includes some tense moments between Ran and Haibara, including some startling revelations.<p>

I appreciate all the feedback from everyone. My only request is that you all include some ideas where you'd like to see the story go. I have an idea, but I'm always open to others. So please review!


	4. Confirming Suspicions

Another Chapter done, and it's in Haibara's POV again. This might seem like a recap of Ch. 1, but the events are actually told in Ran's POV instead of Shinichi's. Plus, Ai's thoughts come to light, when she's listening. Also, if you skipped Ch. 1 because of the ShinRan stuff, then this is a quick way to see what you missed without suffering too much.

Disclaimer: Whoever thinks that the owner of something would post something for free on a fanfiction website instead of selling it for profit is crazy. (aka. I don't own Detective Conan in any way)

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><p>Chapter Four - Ai's POV<p>

After school that day, Conan attempted to get Ai to accompany them again, but Ai already had an excuse for not going by saying she was visiting her sister. This wasn't a complete lie, since Ran reminded her of her sister, but it performed its purpose, since Conan figured she'd be visiting the cemetery and would need some alone time.

After ditching the other four, she took a longer route to the Detective Agency. She'd been followed before by the kids, like the time she'd denied the Witness Protection Program, and wasn't taking any chances of Conan finding out what she was up to, since they'd undoubtedly drag him along. She even went in a store and came out the back alley and looped around to walk down the street again to see if they'd been hiding behind her. Satisfied she wasn't being followed, she then went to the Agency.

She walked up the stairs and rang the bell. Soon enough, Ran came out. She was very surprised to see Ai alone, especially since Conan wasn't around.

"What can I do for you Ai-chan? Conan-kun isn't here now."

"Actually I wanted to talk to you Ran-san. It's about Edogawa-kun."

Ran brought her inside and served her some juice. "Oh, what about?"

As usual, Ai was put off by her helpfulness and friendliness. However, she pressed on, "Well, he's been acting…different lately."

"How so?" asked Ran curiously.

"Well it's not that noticeable, but it seems his personality has changed a little. He's more carefree then he used to be."

"I hadn't noticed anything, but then again, you're around him more than me. Besides, a kid being carefree isn't a bad thing. You should try to."

"Maybe I will then. But first I'd like to see what could've made him change so radically. Do you have any ideas?"

"How long have you noticed this behavior, Ai-chan?"

"Just since yesterday afternoon. It was even more pronounced today, although when I confronted him, he pretended to not know what I was talking about, though I saw right through it, since he's a bad liar." Ai didn't add that he was actually a great liar, since he'd hidden his identity as Shinichi from Ran for two years.

"Well," said Ran, "I don't know about anything recent, but something happened about six months ago where he acted strange."

This got Ai's undivided attention. She wondered what could have happened, considering that was around the time he last took a temporary antidote. "What happened?" she asked, hiding her eagerness.

"Shinichi called me one morning six months ago and said that he'd be in Tokyo for a day, and asked if I'd like to hang out with him for a day. I said yes, so he picked me up and that's what we did."

"How would that change Edogawa-kun's personality?" asked Ai. She was confused because it sounded like Conan had had a great time that day as a teenager, which conflicted with her current theory.

"What happened was Shinichi invited me to dinner at the end of the day. He said that he had to go back to America for an unspecified amount of time, likely for good. He asked me to listen to his reasons, but I didn't want to." Ran had started to cry again in remembrance of that day, and Ai was starting to regret ever asking.

"What happened next?"

"He asked me a question that I never thought I'd hear him say. He asked 'Do you love me' softly and tenderly."

Ai was wondering where this was going, since she knew that he had known well before that that Ran had loved him. "You said 'yes' right Ran-san?"

"Actually I kind of denied it by asking him why he thought that I loved him at all. Then he just grinned cockily and gave me a list of reasons I couldn't deny. I was hoping he'd love me back, but I was too shy to just say it, so I worked around the subject until the truth finally came out."

"So he confessed?" said Ai in monotone, fully expecting Ran to give an affirmative, but was surprised again by her response.

"Actually," said Ran, tearing up again, "he said that since he'd been gone so long investigating that stupid case of his, his feelings had dwindled from love to friendship. He said he loved me like he loved a little sister. I was so distraught that I forgot to try to convince him to stay anymore or find out what the case was about the whole time he walked me home. I guess he felt so guilty about breaking my heart like that that he didn't say anything either. He still calls sometimes, but not nearly as much as he used to, so I guess he's either really busy in America or has just moved on. I guess I should move on, too."

While Ai had been very interested in what had happened, there was still the main question to ask. "So what does this have to do with Edogawa-kun?"

"Well, at first, when I told him, he looked kind of sad, but then he cheered me up by saying that if Shinichi had moved on, I should too. He said I should forget about him and find a better guy. I thought it was weird because he's always been very defensive of me and Shinichi, but now he thought it was better to forget about him. Does that answer your question, Ai-chan?"

"Actually, it pretty much does. Thanks Ran-san. Please don't tell anyone I was here."

With that, Ai left and went back to Agasa's house, pondering over what had happened. It cleared a lot of things up. Conan had obviously felt too guilty about Ran crying all the time, and so had devised a way to let her move on. It explained his sad look a few months ago. Now, though, he had obviously gotten over her and developed a small crush on Ayumi, probably because she likely reminded him of Ran when _she_ was small. That explained why he'd started hanging out with her more. The mystery was starting to make sense, and she didn't think she liked it too much.

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><p>We're finally getting somewhere! Ai's reaction to the whole thing will be discussed next chapter, and it'll be done from a different POV than I've used yet. I'll probably include another flashback, too.<p>

Again, review and tell me what you think. If you put what you want to happen in the review, I might be tempted to change the ending I've planned a little!


	5. The Truth about Ai Haibara

I finished this chapter sooner than expected, so I thought I'd post it. As I promised, it's in a new POV, and has a flashback.

Disclaimer: If I owned this, then I probably wouldn't have dragged it on for 15 years, but maybe I would...

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><p>Chapter Five - Agasa's POV<p>

When Ai came home, Agasa-hakase was in the kitchen attempting to sneak a snack. When Ai came in, he thought he was caught red-handed and was waiting for her to reprimand him. When she did no such thing, he got curious. Then he noticed she appeared to be deep in thought, which made him worried, since she was almost never _this_ preoccupied. He quickly hid the snack he'd brought out and said, "Ai-kun?"

She jumped, which confirmed she was thinking deeply about something. "Oh hakase, I didn't see you there."

"What's wrong Ai-kun?" he asked, walking with her to the living room and sitting down beside her, "You've got something big on your mind. Do you mind sharing?"

"Oh it's nothing. It's just about Kudo-kun." Then she asked him the question she was dying to get out, "Hakase, did you know that Kudo-kun and Ran-san broke up six months ago?"

Agasa-hakase had actually been expecting something like this since she'd mentioned the word Kudo-kun. He sighed and said, "Actually, I did. I'm one of the only people he told, since it was such a sensitive subject. He made me not tell anyone because he wanted the opportunity to tell people himself, though apparently you've found out through other means. If you didn't ask him, you probably asked Ran-kun, right?"

"I asked her if there was something wrong with Kudo-kun, and she eventually told me the whole story. It actually cleared up why he was acting so strange lately."

"How was he acting strange?"

"Well, to give you an example, he claimed to have been woken up early by Mouri-tantei and then walked around the neighborhood to pass time. He then claimed to have passed Ayumi-chan when she left her apartment and then walked to school with her. While I could probably buy that part, what I can't buy is that they were discussing _Kamen Yaiba_. Then they walked past me like I wasn't there. When I spoke to them they both jumped."

"That _is_ weird for Shinichi-kun."

"Also," said Ai, since she was on a roll now, "he forced me to play in the park with the other four instead of working on the antidote. Then we played soccer and he made me play, even though I made the teams uneven. Then he obviously made an effort to not hog the ball like usual."

"Who was on his team?"

"Just Ayumi-chan."

"Indeed, that is intriguing," said Agasa, putting his hand on his chin, "maybe he's decided to move on with Ayumi-kun since he let go of Ran-kun."

"Maybe so," said Ai sadly, which hakase picked up on.

When Agasa-hakase had first found Ai, he knew that she was different, even for a teenager. He'd taken her in and treated her like his own daughter. In return, she treated him like a father. He'd carefully watched Ai since he knew she could get caught up in her work on the antidote. However, a piece of news he'd learned about half a year since she'd been living with him had shocked him completely, though he'd suspected it for a while.

_Flashback - 1.5 years ago_

Ai was alone in the lab, like usual. It was 2 AM, but that didn't bother her; she was used to late nights when working for the Organization. Agasa-hakase had woken up and noticed her bed was empty, so he went to the lab to convince her to go to sleep.

"Ai-kun?"

"Hakase."

"It's late you know. Why don't you take a break and start working again tomorrow?"

"The sooner this is done, the sooner I'll feel better about myself."

"Shinichi-kun has told you multiple times it wasn't your fault for what happened. It takes a lot for him to trust someone who's seen the bad in the world, but he trusts you completely. You're his friend, his closest friend. He'd understand if you didn't work late nights. After all, you're physically a young girl. You need sleep to keep going."

He was cut off by Ai saying, "I've worked late for Them many times, so I'm perfectly used to it. In regards to who his best friend is, we both know that it's Mouri-san. She always has been. So don't give me false hopes by saying he picked a new best friend." She turned back to her work, her tone indicating that he should go away.

"Ai-kun," said Hakase softly, "what's bothering you? Why won't you let him be a friend to you? He knows what you've been through and he wants to help. To him, you're just as nice a person as anyone else he's ever spent time with, so why won't you accept his friendship?"

Ai had stopped at this point and put her hands in her lap. She kept her head down as she said, "Because…I see no reason why he _should_ befriend me. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't even be here now. His life would be different and he'd be a lot happier. And he'd be with _her_." At this point, tears had started leaking from her eyes and she just let them fall.

Hakase didn't really know what to say, since she never really cried. She especially never cried when it was only him there. So he just hugged her, giving her someone to cry on, and comforted her. Eventually, the flow of tears slackened considerably, and Hakase decided to take a guess at why she was so upset.

"Is the reason you don't want him to befriend you is that you love him?"

At this Ai just nodded and said, "Yes, I do. I know I can't, I know it'll never work out, but I can't help it. He's always there helping me, boosting my confidence, and protecting me from Them. He listens to what I have to say, and he understands me. He never prys, and accepts me for who I am. That's why making the antidote is so painful. It reminds me of the shortened time I have before he goes away for good. Even if I take it too, it won't be the same."

At this Ai had broken down again, and he'd had to comfort her again. Then she'd asked, "Will you promise me not to tell him? He's so dense about romantic stuff he'll just be confused and it'll destroy my friendship with him permanently. Please?"

Agasa had smiled and said, "Of course I won't. Your feelings are your business and it wouldn't do for me to tell anybody you don't want to know. It's for you to tell when you're ready."

"Thank you Hakase."

_End Flashback_

Looking at Ai, Agasa was reminded of what had happened that night and of what she must be feeling right now. She was probably really sad to have been one-upped by a little girl. She was probably crying her eyes out on the inside. He hadn't told anyone, as she'd asked, and had looked on as she had opened up more towards Conan and the kids. She'd even bettered her friendship with Ran, even when he knew it was hard for her, by calling her 'Ran-san' instead of 'Mouri-san'. The obvious reason was that she knew Conan loved Ran, but the less obvious was that Ran reminded her of her sister, Akemi, so being around Ran brought up bad memories.

He was proud of what she'd become. She'd become more innocent, more friendly, and more generous. After the defeat of the Organization, she'd started to let down her guard more, and it had become noticeable, and had been remarked upon by most everyone who knew her well. However, she still hadn't confessed to Conan, and had had no plans to, and now she was suffering again. He knew that Conan hanging out with Ayumi more would make her retreat back into her shell and it would take a lot to bring her back out.

As such, he wasn't surprised when Ai stood up and said, "I'll be in the basement," and left. He wouldn't find out until later that Ai had made a silent pledge to leave Tokyo once the antidote was completed and she wasn't obligated to stay anymore.

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><p>Well, Ai loves Conan. You finally found out. But will she tell Conan or move away in sadness? This chapter was kind of short, but it cleared up the main issue of if Ai loved Conan back, which I've purposely been vague about before.<p>

Next chapter will include major passage of time, and Ai's jealousy starts going crazy. How so? Look forward to finding out!


	6. Waiting for the Bomb to Drop

This chapter is shorter than most, but I've got a big one up next, probably, so it's worth it, at least for me, if maybe not for you.

Disclaimer: Owning this is the one thing I won't do, because I'll ruin the whole series.

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><p>Chapter Six - Conan's POV<p>

Conan had been saddened when Ai had not joined them, but he understood not to interrupt when she'd said she'd be visiting her sister's grave. He had no idea that she was actually going to visit her sister's look-alike, Ran, to ask about him. He just went to the park with the other three, as usual. When he got home, though, he noticed that Ran was awfully quiet, and it looked like she'd been crying again. So he asked, "What's wrong, Ran-neechan?"

"Oh, I was just thinking about Shinichi again. I've wondered what he's been doing, but he's always been vague. Plus he never calls as much anymore. After hearing his confession, I realized that I needed to move on, too, but I still can't stop thinking about him."

Conan was not surprised she'd been thinking about him again. It was one of the only things that made her cry. So he decided to cheer her up. "Ran-neechan, you shouldn't cry for Shinichi-niichan. He made his choice and you made yours, and you're both happy now. I don't think Shinichi-niichan would like it if you cried because it'd make him feel sad, too."

"I know Conan-kun, but I just had an unfortunate reminder today of what happened, so I was just thinking about it."

"What happened?"

"I, uh, saw two friends become a couple earlier, so I was wondering what might've happened if Shinichi hadn't had to go away for his big case." Ran was lying about the couple, but she'd promised Ai not to tell anyone, including Conan.

"I know Ran-neechan, maybe getting a boyfriend will cheer you up!" said Conan childishly. He thought her stuttering was because her voiced was shaking, not because she was lying. Ran smiled and simply said, "Maybe so," and went to make dinner.

The next day, Conan decided to walk to school normally, just to see if Ai had changed any. When he didn't meet her, he went to Agasa-hakase's house and rang the bell to see what was up. When Agasa opened the gate, he informed Conan that Ai wouldn't be coming to school.

"What happened?" asked Conan confusedly, "Did she get sick again?"

"She said she's not feeling well today; I didn't ask why."

"Well, then I hope she gets better then. She's so much more fun to be around when she's healthy. I'll see you later, then!" With that, he went on to school, thinking about what might be wrong.

At school, he didn't do anything much with Ayumi because Ai wasn't around. He also missed her sitting next to him and keeping him company. At the end of the day, the four of them decided to go visit Ai to see if she was any better. While Agasa let them in, Ai informed them from behind her bedroom door that she couldn't let them in, and they soon left, after being reassured that they could come visit again the next day.

The next day was Saturday, and the Detective Boys gathered at Agasa's house as soon as possible to check up on Ai. This time, she came out to visit them, though Conan noticed she had bags under her eyes. Since she looked tired, he took a day off from making her jealous and just had fun with his friends. He tried to bring her in to the games, but she wasn't having any part. Conan noticed though that Haibara wasn't as outgoing as normal, but wrote it off as still feeling bad.

The next few weeks went by in much the same fashion. Conan would do little things for Ayumi. Not enough for anyone to notice, but enough to suffice. He gave up on walking with her in the mornings since it was too hard to get up early every day, but he always played with the other three and went home with them. He also made sure that Ai was never left out of anything, unless she pulled out another excuse he couldn't ignore. He didn't make her play every day, though, and let her go home and work on the antidote, since he thought she didn't know he let Ran go. This is how he lived his life for a while, until the next big shocker occurred.

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><p>Typical transition chapter. I'll upload the next one in two days, along with another chapter for <em>To Fool a Tantei<em>, so please check it out as well. Next up is an Ayumi vs. Ai confrontation, and I'm wondering how much I should make them fight over poor Conan. Chime in with your opinion by reviewing!


	7. Ayumi Ai Confrontation

My apologies for not updating yesterday, but I'm starting my senior year of high school in two weeks, and I've been having prep work and prep meetings to go to. Many thanks to those who reviewed, and keep supporting me.

Note: I also lowered the rating from T to K+ since most of the story is over, and nothing has happened that _should_ make it be rated T.

Disclaimer: School meetings to do not result in my owning anything more than I used to.

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><p>Chapter Seven - Ai's POV<p>

Over the next few weeks, Ai's mood didn't really improve much. She acted similar to how she used to act, before they toppled the Organization. She withdrew back into herself.

One day, Ai was eating lunch by herself as usual when Ayumi walked up and sat next to her.

"Ai-chan, could I talk to you about something?" She spoke in such a way that Ai was sure there was something on her mind.

Ai had always considered Ayumi her best friend, after Conan, so that was part of the reason she was feeling so sad about Conan spending so much time with her. However, she put on her Poker Face and said, "Sure, Ayumi-chan."

Just then Conan decided to try to sit near them, but Ayumi quickly saw him and shooed him away, causing Ai to raise an eyebrow. It took a lot to make Ayumi send her first crush away. That meant that whatever she had to say was not for his ears, and was likely about him.

"Ai-chan," began Ayumi, "There's something bugging me…it's about Conan-kun."

"What's bugging you?"

"Well, I never really noticed it before, but lately, he's been acting weird around me. He always makes excuses to be around me, to help me out, and walk me home. It's so…different from normal it just…creeps me out a little, I guess."

"Well, if he's making that much of an effort, it probably means he likes you. Boys only do stuff like that for girls they like, and vice versa."

"That's what I thought at first, but I've confessed to him before that I like him, so if he liked me back he should just be able to say it. Since he hasn't it either means he's REALLY nervous or just being a good friend, and he doesn't really like me, not like that anyway."

Ai was now listening intently. If Ayumi wasn't sure if Conan liked her, then there was the possibility he _was_ being a good friend, no matter how small it was. However, she loved Conan too, and wanted him to be happy, so she said, "It sounds to me like he does like you. He's always been incredibly dense, so he's probably just thinking about how to confess."

"…"

"Ayumi-chan…"

"There's something else bothering me about him, too."

"Oh? What is it?"

"I've noticed that he _only_ acts weird if _you're_ around, Ai-chan."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that the only time he ever spends more time with me than normal is when you're around. When we play in the park, if you're not there, he never cares who's on his team. We just use rock-paper-scissors. When he walks home with me, he only talks to me until we can't hear the others. And on the day you were home sick, he treated me like he used to. After we left Hakase's, he went home by himself, and not with me."

"Anything else you've noticed?" asked Haibara, wondering to herself why he was only weird when she was around.

"The day you were sick, he was really worried. He was muttering to himself about whenever you're sick he needed to be cautious. I didn't hear much else, but he was distracted the whole day, and he looked scared. He also kept saying something about jail, escapes, and various alcohols."

Ai put two and two together and realized he was worried about the Organization coming after them again, since she had only gotten really sick right before the encounter with Vermouth, and had gotten better after Vermouth had left.

"So what do you think about all this, Ayumi-chan?"

"I…I…I think he doesn't like me. I think he likes _you_."

"You think he likes…me?" Haibara asked incredulously, "Then why is he hanging out with you, then?"

"I don't know… but maybe…he's only hanging out with me because he's trying to see if you get jealous or not. You keep most of your thoughts and feelings bottled up inside, so if he does like you, he probably has no idea if you like him back. After all, he is incredibly dense anyways, so you're probably a bigger mystery to him than most anyone else. Conan's popular, and so are you, so asking you out directly would be like setting off a bomb, especially if you rejected him. That's why I think he started hanging out with me: to see if he could get a rise out of you or not."

Ai was listening quietly to Ayumi talk, her lunch forgotten. Her theory was certainly plausible, even if it _was_ a little out of character for him. She then resolved to see if Ayumi's theory was true in any way. She glanced over at Conan, but he was busy eating his food, and wasn't paying them any attention.

"Uh, Ai-chan?"

"Anything else?" It was hard for Ai to keep the glee out of her voice when she thought about Conan liking her.

"You like Conan-kun too, don't you?"

Ai fought hard to keep her blush down while saying, "No I don't. I don't like him any more than the last time you asked at the Blue Castle case two years ago."

Ayumi just laughed and said, "Ai-chan, you can be a really bad liar sometimes. It's obvious to me you like him, and I'll tell you why. It took you a while for you to get used to Ran-oneesan because it looked like Conan-kun had a crush on her. Whenever I said anything about liking him, you'd always stay quiet or say something sarcastic whenever anyone talked to you. And when he first started hanging out with me more than normal, you were sick the next day. When we went over to check on you, we weren't able to see you at all, which indicated you had something really _really_ bad. But the next day you were fine, though it looked like you'd hadn't been sleeping well. That's why I think you like him. You saw him with someone else he might have a chance with and sulked in your room. You didn't sleep because you'd been crying, and didn't let us see you because we would've seen your eyes all red and swollen from crying." Ayumi said all this like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You do like him, don't you?" said Ayumi softly, but kindly.

Ai was very surprised by the tenderness in her friend's voice as well as the explanation. The little girl had obviously picked up a lot of deduction skills from Conan and was incredibly perceptive. Ayumi was acting like a true and caring friend too, even though Ai knew she liked Conan, too, and could've been very ugly about the whole thing. Therefore, Ai resolved to tell her the truth. "Ayumi-chan, I…I do like Edogawa-kun. I have for years. I just never said anything because I always thought he liked someone else." She didn't cry this time, unlike with Agasa-hakase so long before.

"I thought so, Ai-chan!" exclaimed Ayumi. "Why don't you tell him, then? I've told you why he might like you, too."

"What about you?" asked Ai in surprise, "I thought you liked him, too. Besides, there's still no guarantee that he _does_ like me as anything more than a friend. "

"But he _does_ like you, Ai-chan. I'm sure of it. You're just too stubborn to admit to yourself that you might actually have a chance with him."

"What about you, though? Don't _you_ still like him?" Ai repeated her earlier question, since it hadn't been answered.

"Well, I do still like him. But I'll be happy as long as he's happy. And if he'll be happier than you than with me, then I'll be willing to let him go. Besides, you're more emotional than me, obviously, though you don't show it. That's why you should end up with him, so you won't get overwhelmed with too many negative emotions. It's for those reasons that I fully support you two. Good luck with him, Ai-chan! Make him happy for me!"

With that Ayumi said nothing more, and finished eating. Ai was in wonderment over her friend's behavior, since she had not expected her friend, who had known Conan longer, to just give her her blessing like that. She expected resistance, as Ayumi was a rival, but received none at all. This made her feel happier than she'd felt for a while.

The problem now was Conan. Ayumi was pretty sure Conan liked her, but Ai wasn't so sure. He'd never treated her differently. Therefore Ai decided to find out slyly if Conan liked her or not, and resolved to try her hardest to not let him find out until she'd made a determination.

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><p>My apologies to those who wanted an Ai vs. Ayumi catfight. I decided to keep them as friends now, and I'm saving the fight for another story I've got an idea for. Besides, under the circumstances presented here, I don't really think they would've fought anyways.<p>

Note: The Blue Castle Case is episodes 136-137 or vol 20-21.

The next chapter is the second half of this confrontation, and it's Ayumi and Conan this time. How's Ayumi going to let Conan go without him getting suspicious? Find out next time! Review this chapter, and if you don't like it, I might fix it, but if your idea is _too_ different, I might be forced to ignore it, because I've already got most of the ending planned out, and a radical change of this scene would totally not do well with the ending I've got. However, it doesn't hurt to put your ideas out there, though!


	8. Ayumi Conan Confrontation

As promised, the Ayumi Conan confrontation is this chapter. It's short, but that's just because Ayumi doesn't need to ask about the plan anymore.

Note: At this time, this chapter will likely be around 12 chapters, with maybe an epilogue mixed in.

Disclaimer: I don't own this anymore than you do.

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><p>Chapter Eight - Conan's POV<p>

Conan noticed a peculiar change in Ai after she talked to Ayumi. While before she'd seemed subdued and silent, she now seemed happier and peppier, and Conan was a bit startled. He thought nothing of it, and just assumed that Ayumi's cheerful personality had rubbed off on her. When he sat next to Ayumi later, he decided to find out what all the whispering was about.

"So, Ayumi-chan, what were you talking about with Haibara earlier? You seem to have really cheered her up."

"Oh, just girl stuff. You wouldn't understand."

Conan raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. Suddenly Ayumi asked a question he was NOT expecting, though she'd been clearly dying to ask it.

"Conan-kun, do you like Ai-chan?"

"How could I possibly like a hard-nosed girl like her?"

"Conan-kun, you're a bad liar when you're flustered. Plus, you're blushing."

Conan immediately realized she was right and attempted to control it while Ayumi giggled. He then wondered if Ai had put her up to it, but decided against it, since it didn't seem like it fit her personality.

"So you _do_ like Ai-chan."

"I guess I do…a little."

"You're still lying, Conan-kun. I've learned how to watch and learn from you, and I'm not stupid. It's _so obvious_ you like her, and your hanging out with me gave me the proof I needed. The only reason you've been hanging out with me these past few weeks is just to make her jealous, right? You only hang out more with me whenever she's around to see. That means you like her. I'll warn you though, Conan-kun, making her jealous might tell you her feelings, but you'll break her heart if she does like you, and doesn't realize it's just a test. You should quit hanging out with me and go tell her and see where it gets you."

"You'd be OK with that?"

"I might be a little sad at first, but if you're truly happy, then I'll be happy too!" Ayumi used the same answer she'd used earlier for Ai, and it seemed to go over just as well with Conan as it had with Ai.

"All right then! Thanks, Ayumi-chan! You won't tell her will you?"

"As much as I like you, you're my friend, and I'll _never_ betray my friends. I'll help them out. And if it helps you to not tell anybody, then I won't, Conan-kun! You can always count on Ayumi!"

Class had started already, so Conan couldn't change seats but he decided that Ayumi was right about the whole jealousy thing. He decided to just find out for himself what she felt.

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><p>Feel repetitive? It should, since I purposely made it that way. It'll be key later on during the confession!<p>

Next up, Conan and Ai talk for the first time since they both talked to Ayumi! What'll happen? Look forward to it!

Oh, and many thanks to the many people that reviewed and supported me! I'm sorry I can't use all your ideas, but the ones I liked I've filed away to use in other stories. If you have any more, feel free to share!


	9. Conan Ai Confrontation

Conan finally gets bolder in this chapter, but still no confessions! Many thanks to those who are honest in their reviews!

Disclaimer: Detective Conan doesn't belong to me in any way.

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><p>Chapter Nine - Conan's POV<p>

Conan decided to get started right away on getting on the good side of Ai. He decided to start slow so she wouldn't suspect anything. On the way out, Ai said that she was going home, and Conan made up an excuse to join her by saying his tranquilizers weren't knocking out Mouri-tantei for as long as usual (which wasn't much of a lie, since Mouri _was_ becoming resistant to the darts).

Walking to Agasa's, Conan saw that Ai was preoccupied, which wasn't surprising since she was always thinking a lot about the antidote. He still hadn't told her about his break-up with Ran, and he knew he'd have to if he expected to have a chance with her.

"Uh, Haibara?"

"Yes, Kudo-kun?"

"I , uh, never really told you why I wanted that last temporary antidote, did I?"

"You probably just used it to confess to your girlfriend, considering it was the 2-year anniversary of your turning into a kid that you asked for it." Haibara said it in monotone, keeping secret the fact she knew what happened.

"Actually, I didn't confess. I let her go. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but I did it. I called her and said it would be my last day in Japan for a long while, and took her out to eat. When she confessed to me, I said I loved her as I would a sister, and I took her home. I figured the real antidote wasn't going to be ready anytime soon, so it wasn't worth making her wait anymore. It's actually been quite liberating."

"I noticed. Since you let Ran-san go, you decided to start over. That's why you've been hanging out with Ayumi-chan, since she reminds you of Ran-san when she was small." Ai hoped it wasn't true, though, and Ayumi's theory was right.

"I…I don't like Ayumi-chan like that! She's just a friend." Conan didn't blush at all while he said this, and Ai noticed.

"So you really _don't_ like Ayumi-chan."

"No."

"So hanging out with her more lately has been for purely friendship reasons. What if she thinks it's more? You'll break her heart. Besides, she told me at lunch that she noticed you acting weird. You'd better back off now, before it turns into anything you can't control."

"What do mean by _weird,_ anyway? I've just been helping her out more than normal. She's one of my closest friends, but I don't love her, not like that. She's like the cute little sister I never had. Do you really think I should stop helping her out so much?"

"With Ayumi-chan, if you truly don't love her, then you shouldn't string her along. You should treat her like you've always treated her, otherwise people might get the wrong idea."

"…Thanks, Haibara."

"Kudo-kun," continued Ai cautiously, "since you let Ran-san go, does that mean you don't want the antidote anymore?"

"It depends on how close you are to completion, I guess. If you're really close, then I say go ahead and finish. If you're not, it probably won't be worth it."

"I'm actually pretty close now. With all the research we got from the Organization's computers, I was able to significantly add to my knowledge of it and speed up its completion. If I'd had to do it completely from memory, then it I would be working on for a few more _years_."

"Do you have a time estimate?"

"Maybe in a month or two. Like I said, I'm really close."

"If you do make it, will you take it, too?"

Ai used her prefabricated excuse, "Probably not. I have everything now I've ever wanted, and being an adult again wouldn't help." Internally, she revoked her earlier vow of immediately leaving once she gave him the antidote, since she wanted to know if Conan loved her or not.

With this, they arrived at Agasa's house. Conan went back in his old house for a book (and 'accidently' dropped his watch in the toilet to solidify his excuse for coming with Ai) while Ai just went inside. They each then did their own thing until Conan left at five with a newly fixed (and dried out) watch.

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><p>They're both back on speaking terms, so next chapter should be interesting. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a while again, and I apologize severely for it. Until then, read and review!<p> 


	10. Confessions At Last

Confession Time! This chapter was originally intended to be two, but I figured everyone would kill me for such a split at such a time, so I just combined the two.

Disclaimer: Owning this is not my life's dream, otherwise I'd own it.

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><p>Chapter Ten - Ai's POV<p>

Over the following weeks, Ai noticed that Conan had started going back to his old routine, which was fine by her, since she had suggested it. She wondered if Ayumi had talked to Conan, too, though his response while walking denied this hypothesis. At any rate, her life was as normal as it could be. Conan had convinced her to not pull any more late hours on the antidote, claiming that it was because the body of a little girl needed plenty of rest to stay healthy, which was the same excuse Agasa had used in the lab when she'd told him her feelings for Conan. Conan started staying over more in the afternoons, too, and helped her out around the lab, though whenever he annoying he was generally kicked out unceremoniously.

Finally, the antidote was completed, right around the time Ai had predicted. Ai didn't want to give it to Conan, but he'd been hanging out around the house more often, so he was upstairs when she finally finished. However, he was her friend, and she figured she owed it to him, since she was responsible for his being a kid anyway, and she wanted to right her wrongs. She went upstairs to give it to him, though her heart was screaming not to.

"Kudo-kun."

"Haibara?"

"It's done. It's permanent this time." Ai held out a small capsule.

Conan took the pill. "Are you sure you won't take it too?"

"Quite sure. This is my home now. I have a nice family and nice friends. I couldn't ask for anything more."

"If you're sure, Haibara, then," He gave the pill back, "I won't take it either."

"Really, you won't?" asked Haibara, astounded, "Why not?"

"I've gotten used to being a kid again. Kudo Shinichi is already back in America, and he'll stay there. I've started my new life, and people know me as something other than a celebrity. Edogawa Conan would be missed a lot more than Kudo Shinichi would ever be missed. That's why I'd like you to hold on to the pill. I don't want to have the temptation to 'kill myself'."

"Is that the only reason?"

"Actually there is another reason, but that's for me to know..."

"I see," said Haibara, feeling crestfallen. If his reason was for him to know, it didn't involve her.

"…but I'll let you find out," finished Conan.

"You'll tell me your other reason? I thought you said it's for you to know."

"I said I'd let you find out," said Conan, grinning, "but you'll have to use the detective skills I taught you to find out." Ai grumbled at this. "However, I _will_ give you a hint, in the form of a similar story. A while ago, after I first became Conan, Mom and Dad came back to Japan. They found I wasn't home and asked Agasa-hakase where I was. When they found out what happened to me, they decided to play a prank on me, since I looked like a little kid. It involved the kidnapping of me and an illegal transaction. Both were fake of course, but it still scared me to death at the time, since they were both in disguise and wore black."

"What does this have to do your second reason?" Ai asked, sitting across from Conan to listen.

"I haven't gotten there yet. After escaping from the 'confinement room', I tailed them to Beika Hotel to where the transaction was. I snuck inside the motel room, where Mom and Dad revealed themselves as the two 'men in black'."

"Then the guy they were 'trading' with was Agasa-hakase?"

"Yep. After catching me and shooting me with a toy gun, they revealed themselves and offered to take me with them overseas, since the fact I'd let myself get 'shot' gave them the perfect basis for taking me away."

"But you didn't go."

"Yeah, I didn't go, and I gave two reasons why. The first was that I had an obligation to defeat the Organization, and I wanted to do it myself."

"And the second?"

"I never directly stated the second, but I think Dad knew anyway."

"And it was…"

"It was the fact I loved Ran. I didn't want to leave her here alone. At the time, I thought I'd only be Conan for a short time then."

"And how does your former girlfriend have anything to do with you not taking the pill?"

"It's because the two reasons then are very similar to those now. You know the first."

"You have an obligation to complete your new life. You've been a kid long enough that you've started to enjoy your new life and you want to fulfill it."

"What do you think my second reason is then?"

"Well," said Ai, "if your old reason was because you didn't want to leave Ran-san, then your new reason would be probably have something to do with a girl, too."

"Yes, yes!" exclaimed Conan, "You _are_ getting good at reasoning. Though you'll never surpass me, of course."

"You're too cocky."

"Oh, be quiet, I'm not that bad!"

"Ahem!" said a new voice, disturbing the argument. They both spun around to find it belonged to Agasa-hakase. "So, Shinichi-kun, who's the lucky girl?" he asked, elbowing Conan, "Is she pretty and smart?" It was clear he'd been listening the whole time, and neither of them had realized.

"Well," said Conan, "I think she's pretty, whereas she might not. She doesn't really have a high opinion of herself. She's smart, funny, and courageous, though she'll only admit to being smart. She understands me, listens to me, and I enjoy her company."

"Who is it then, Shinichi-kun?"asked Hakase, taking note of the fact that Ai's face had taken on a red tint, though Conan didn't.

He just asked, "Judging by what I said, who do _you_ think it is?" Conan was tired of being teased.

"Well," said Hakase, "if I had to take a guess, and since I know your friends' personalities, I'll have to guess Ai-kun!"

When Hakase announced that the girl Conan was talking about was her, Ai almost stopped breathing from shock. But she quickly recovered herself and tried to protest, but her heart wasn't in it, and Hakase wasn't paying attention anyway.

"So Shinichi-kun, it's Ai-kun, isn't it?" Hakase said again, "She's the only one that fits your description!"

Ai watched Hakase needle Conan for a minute before finally speaking up and shutting him up, "Quit hassling him Hakase! He'll tell us if he wants!" With that Ai sat back down, wondering why she was suddenly so emotional.

With that Conan looked up and said, "Haibara, what Agasa-hakase said is true. I do love you. That's why I gave you back the pill, so I won't have to leave you here alone."

With Conan's confession, Ai suddenly looked down at her feet so no one could see her red cheeks. Hakase took that as his cue to leave. Ai calmed down and looked up and said, "If that's true, Kudo Shinichi, if that's really true, then there's something I need to say, too. I…I… I love you, too!"

After finally saying what she'd wanted to say to him for well over a year, it felt like a burden had finally been lifted. She just stared at him, blushing like mad, and he stared back. Then he grinned like an idiot, got up, walked over, and sat on the couch next to her, and put an arm around her shoulder. Then he asked, "For how long Haibara?"

"For a long time. I've completely forgotten when I first realized I loved you, it's been so long."

"Well," said Conan, and he removed his glasses, "I think I've loved you for a long time, too."At that, Ai looked up at him incredulously, "I just never realized it because my feelings for you were overshadowed by those for someone I'd… known longer. But I realize now that I do love you Haibara Ai, no Miyano Shiho, and I always will."

After hearing that, Ai realized she was crying, not out of sadness, but out of joy. She then cuddled next to him, while he tightened his hold around her shoulders, and they fell asleep, both dreaming of the happiness to come.

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><p>No kissing? No romantic stuff? I'm actually saving that for the epilogue, which I'll post soon. I just figured it'd be too OOC for them to just start making out right when they realized that the other has loved them for a long time, but feel free to disagree.<p>

Conan's story is based off of episode 43 _Conan Edogawa Kidnapping Case_, or vol. 5-6.

Review this chapter, and look forward to the epilogue!


	11. Epilogue: Confirming Their True Love

Final chapter of Conan's Plan is officially done! This chapter clears up some loose ends, and the two of them get more romantic, though they get interrupted (again!). It's not bad, though, as you'll find out. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned DC, then Conan and Ai would have different personalities, and wouldn't be so awkward.

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><p>Epilogue - Ai's POV<p>

After that, the two of them officially became a couple. They weren't met with much resistance, since people had seen them together for years, and had assumed it was only a matter of time (though Mitsuhiko had had to be convinced by Ayumi via karate she'd learned from Ran).

Around two weeks after they'd first gotten together, Conan and Ai were at Agasa's house, just chilling out and enjoying being together. Then Ai got up the courage to ask something that had been bugging her for a while.

"Conan-kun." They had both switched to using each other's given names the next day after they'd both confessed, but still used honorifics, since they both still looked like kids and didn't want to arouse any suspicion.

"Something wrong, Ai-chan?"

"I was just wondering something."

"Oh? What is it?" Ai noticed that Conan had sat up and had given her his undivided attention.

"Well…what would you have done if I had said I didn't love you back? What would you have said? After the long 'two reasons' explanation you couldn't just take it all back."

"So _that's_ what's bothering you. I noticed you looked preoccupied again. In answer to your question," he paused, thinking, "I probably would've said something like 'It doesn't matter to me if you don't love me back. You're still my friend, and you always will be, no matter what. We are still friends, right?'''

Conan laughed suddenly. "It'd be something along those lines. I just wanted at the time to say how I felt. While I was confident you _did _love me back, there was always the small chance that you didn't. So I prepared myself for that in advance. I resolved to just remain your best friend if you didn't love me, and I'd keep supporting you that way."

Ai's face had gone as red as a tomato. She realized now that he had always planned to support her whether she loved him or not. That also meant that he had had no plans to begin with of turning back after he let Ran go. He told her to finish the antidote if it was close to being done so she 'd feel her sins were washed away, and he'd have been willing to let her quit working if she wasn't close so she wouldn't waste half her new childhood creating something he wasn't planning on using. She realized then that he'd always cared for her, more than she'd ever given him credit for. But his explanation had raised another question.

"How were you so sure, then, if I loved you back? I never let on at all, no more than you did. If you were so sure, then why'd you even start the jealousy plan to begin with?"

"At that time, it was a hope that you loved me. I didn't know for sure until later."

"What tipped you off?"

"Ayumi-chan. You remember when she talked to you at lunch that day?"

"Of course." Ai would never forget _that_ talk, since Ayumi had both alerted her to Conan's overall plan and given her her blessing.

"Well, she talked to me, too, right after that. At first I asked her what you'd talked about, since she'd shooed me away, but she just stayed secretive, and it was obvious she wasn't going to say anything."

"How did _that_ confirm your suspicions?"

"It wasn't that, it was what she said right after that. She asked me something it looked like she was absolutely _burning_ to ask."

"What did she ask then?"

"She said, 'Conan-kun, do you like Ai-chan?'" He used the bowtie to simulate her voice and add to the effect. "I immediately denied it, but she saw right through me. She also advised me to quit hanging out with her as much and to hang out with you more. She said that if you _did_ like me, then hanging out with her wasn't really the smartest move."

"So you took her advice. She was OK with you going after someone else?"

"Actually, she was, which leads me to my next clue that you liked me. The answer she gave about her being happy if I'm happy sounded rehearsed, which meant she'd used it already. Combining that with the fact that she was clearly dying to ask the original question, and she hadn't asked me that morning, so something during the morning and afternoon prompted her to ask."

"The only thing she did was talk to me, though."

"Exactly. That meant that her chat with you prompted her question. Adding to that her rehearsed answer, and the fact that you looked happier than you'd looked in days, told me that she'd asked you the same question, you confessed to her that you liked me, and she gave you her blessing as well. That's when I was pretty sure you liked me."

Ai just looked down and said, "For a romantically dense detective, Kudo Shinichi, you really hit the nail on the head. Practically everything you said was right, although she didn't ask me right away if I liked you, unlike with her question to you."

"Hey! I'm not that dense!" Conan spluttered in indignation, "If I was _that_ dense, I never would've guessed you liked me back!"

"Then prove it meitantei-san," said Ai quietly. Then she did something that was completely out of character for her. She whirled around and kissed him full on the lips, shocking him completely and proving her point that he _was_ dense.

Ai quickly backed off, since he was so shocked that he hadn't started kissing her back. "That proves my point, meitantei-kun," said Ai sweetly. "If you weren't dense, then you would've expected that." Conan spluttered in outrage, but Ai ignored it. Then she put her arms around his neck and put a finger on his lips to shut him up and said, "but that's one of the things I like so much about you, _Shinichi_." She used his real name to prove she was serious, along with discarding any honorifics.

Conan moved her finger and replied, "_Shiho_," doing likewise, "I also love you for one reason: you can _always_ surprise me, no matter what." He slowly slipped his arms around her, and they slowly moved together and kissed deeply, the kiss reflecting the mutual feelings for each other.

The kiss was simple and elegant, not a French kiss, not too slobbery, and not too wild. They stayed like that for a while, with their arms around each other, and only broke apart when the door burst open, and Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta came inside. Then they stopped, saw what they'd interrupted, and their faces turned bright red, and started looking around nervously. Then Agasa came in, herded them out, and on the way out himself, gave Conan and Ai the thumbs up, and left. The silent turn of the lock was all Conan and Ai needed to realize that everyone was rooting for them, and they then continued their kiss in peace, knowing all was well.

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><p>For everyone who wanted kissing, I finally put it in! I figured they'd still be awkward around each other, because neither of them have ever been in a full-on romantic relationship before, so that's why the kiss isn't wild. If you're disappointed, then check out some other fanfics, because there's <em>plenty<em> in them.

To celebrate this milestone, I'll go ahead and post the first chapter of another ConanXAi love story sometime in the near future, so look out for it! Try some of my other stories as well, and please review!


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